The Purpose: Annual Majority Rule Day Service

Annual Majority Rule Day Service held at Bahamas Harvest Church, John F. Kennedy Drive, N.P. on Monday, 12^th January 2026, at 10:00 am

The Purpose – by Bishop Laish Boyd

Today is Majority Rule Day in The Bahamas.  Our purpose today is to remember and to celebrate that on 10^th January 1967, the majority of the population voted in a government that was reflective of the population, a parliament and senate made up of a majority of black Bahamians.  This new government focused on more of the population sharing equally in the affairs of the country and having wider access to more opportunities and entitlements: basic education, higher education, health care, financial advancement, and a say in the direction of The Bahamas – all of which blacks would not have had widespread access to before.

It levelled the playing field in many respects between races and classes, in a way that such could not happen and did not happen before.

What was the reality before Majority Rule Day? A minority of Bahamians who were white, sometimes called the Bay Street Boys, – who were not all bad people, mind you, and who had done many good things for the Bahamas – held full economic and political power, had full control of the resources, opportunities, self-determination and the future of the country – largely exclusive of, and with overt discrimination against, the black majority.  This does not mean that all white people are bad or were bad, so cut that thought now!  What it does indicate is that there was a system in place, that there was a reality on the ground, where the few thrived at the utter disadvantage of the many.  This was not unique to The Bahamas. It was the norm in many countries and regions around the world, at that time and for centuries before.

But with the passage of time and the winds of change, and the evolution of mindset in many places around the world, social and political landscapes had to modify to be more inclusive, democratic and reflective of parity, equality – oppression needed to be done away with.

Therefore, before majority rule, while it was unjust in many ways, The Bahamas was operating in the way that the world had operated for centuries, because prejudice, discrimination, and oppression were not new to or unique to The Bahamas.

After Majority Rule there was an explosion of skill development, of trained professionals in every sphere, of the flourishing of business, industry, and commerce; there was the birthing of the Central Bank, the National Insurance Board, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and the College of The Bahamas, now the University of The Bahamas, to name but a few innovations.

The Bahamas exploded economically, and businesspeople made far more money after 1967 than they could ever imagine, and certainly more than they made before 1967.

The Bahamas was then poised to seek independence from Britain in 1973 – a mere 6 years later. Imagine that. This was not a brilliant or revolutionary idea since, at that time, Britain was seeking to divest herself of as many colonies as possible, because a British Empire as in former decades and centuries was simply no longer a practical or realistic undertaking. In that regard, we must note that there was already a trend in the Caribbean, where several countries had gained independence: Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in 1962, Guyana and Barbados in 1966, the Bahamas in 1973; and after us, Grenada in 1974, Dominica in 1978, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 1979, etc…

All of this was a part of the resultant burst of energy, the atomic blast, that was Majority Rule.  The Bahamas was not the same, nor can it ever be the same again.

Today’s service is monumentally important because Majority Rule is the single largest, most pivotal and most cataclysmic event in Bahamian history since the emancipation of slaves in 1834-1838.

As we fulfil our purpose by observing Majority Rule Day, we must keep a number of things before us. Why? Because purpose (remembering, celebrating, giving thanks) is useless without intention for the future. Here are three things:

1. Majority Rule is not a PLP or FNM event, nor is it about any one or a few individuals.  It is a National Bahamian corporate, all-inclusive Event.  It is unfortunate that both major political parties have managed to politicize it, either by certain behaviours when they were in power, or by “catching feelings” and keeping their distance when they were not in power.  This is wrong.  Political parties need to stop politicizing everything and find EVERY opportunity and MORE opportunities to come together – and Majority Rule Day is a prime opportunity to do so because it has benefitted all Bahamians, and because it is the platform on which we ALL stand and live.

1. With all the celebration, and all the barriers broken down, and all the opportunities gained, and all the explosion of skilled persons and of material wealth, we must not forget the responsibility which comes from opportunity and freedom.  Majority Rule Day is not a full stop; it is not a pinnacle to arrive at; it is a comma or a semicolon, a plateau on which we pause to go on to higher heights. So, we cannot rest on our laurels!

1. We must continue to strive for a more inclusive and more opportunity-for-all Bahamas.  While the white oligarchy that was exclusionary and that limited opportunity for the many can no longer do so, we need to ensure that a similar black oligarchy does not take its place or some other form of native control group does not rise and/or flourish.

In many ways, we have risen to the occasion and not squandered so great a historic moment.  And do not get me wrong: we have made some tremendous strides since 1967. Successive governments have done some wonderful things. Let us not forget this and let us celebrate the giftedness of Bahamians and the greatness of Bahamaland.

Let us commit to supporting and affirming the Government of the Bahamas, whether the PLP or the FNM party wins, the Government of the Bahamas is still the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

However, in many ways, we have not used our freedom and opportunity as responsibly as we ought, and we have squandered this great moment. We are all guilty in some way or another, and some of us, because of our responsibilities – and I include myself in that as a national church leader – are more guilty than others.

The work is not over.  It has only just begun.  Even 59 years along the road, there is STILL SO MUCH FURTHER TO GO.

My Sisters and Brothers, I have rehearsed our purpose for today: to remember, to celebrate, to give thanks. As we move forward, let us not get tired and, in the words of the title of the book by the late, great Sir Clement Maynard, let us “Put on more speed!”